Cabrini University Athletics

Who would have guessed that a scholarship offer more than 40 years ago would have such a profound impact on a student and an institution?

That was the case for Mary Beth Senkewicz.

A student at Mother Cabrini High School in New York City, Senkewicz made her way to Radnor from the projects of Manhattan. The change in scenery did not make her homesick, quite the opposite, the beauty of campus made her feel more comfortable.

From her first day on campus, Senkewicz began to make her mark, both on and off the court

On the hardwood, she was a four-year member of the basketball team and was named captain during her junior and senior campaigns. Senkewicz was one of the team’s leading scorers, including a team-high 19 points as a junior.

It was the moments off the court, however, that Senkewicz remembers most fondly.  The school bus rides to road games and the way head coach and Hall of Famer Helen Godwin made the ladies feel helped the team build an unbreakable bond.

Off the floor, Senkewicz took advantage of everything the College had to offer. Senkewicz became the first female student worker in the Maintenance Department, while taking an active role in extra-curricular activities, including student government, the Student Academic Council, Cryptic, the Loquitor and Woodcrest, of which she was co-editor-in-chief as a senior.

Senkewicz also took advantage of the academic opportunities Cabrini afforded. A member of Lamda Iota Tau and Phi Alpha Theta Honor Societies, Senkewicz credits Cabrini’s liberal arts education and its professors in helping to develop her critical thinking and communications skills that help her gain a Juris Doctorate degree from St. John’s University.

After law school, Senkewicz made her mark in the insurance industry, where she became deputy commissioner for the State of Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, Senkewicz oversaw financial solvency and compliance of health and life insurers and HMOs.

As her career evolved, so too did her relationship with Cabrini.  In 2001, she was the first Cabrini alumna to receive the College’s Ivy Young Willis Memorial Award, established to honor women in public affairs.

Three years later, Senkewicz began the first of two stints on the University’s Board of Trustees, the first of which ended in 2010. The 2011 Cabrini Distinguished Achievement Award Winner, Senkewicz returned to the Board in 2014.